Members of the Frederick Douglass Wildlife and Conservation Club pose for a photo at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Louis, the site of club fishing trips at least twice a year. According to Willis Corbett, the club was formed in 1947 to give African-American sportsmen in the community an opportunity to gather with like-minded individuals at a time when other opportunities did not exist. “I’m the only living, original founding member,” said Corbett. According to John Head, the organization was formed to promote, perpetuate, and preserve the ideas, principles, and aims of conservationists in the United States, and to provide opportunities for the next generation to become hunters, anglers, and responsible outdoorsmen. The club meets once a month at the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and owns more than 100 acres of hunting land in Lincoln County that the club manages for wildlife. “The land sits right on the banks of the Cuivre River and is very rugged and rocky,” said Corbett. “There is plenty of food and cover, and it is ideal for wildlife.” Members of the club hunt frequently on the land and often get together in smaller groups to hunt and fish on the land and at other locations. “A new member of the club who kills his first deer or turkey is one of the happiest people you could see,” said Corbett. —photograph by Noppadol Paothong.
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This Issue's Staff
Managing Editor - vacant
Art Director - Cliff White
Staff Writer/Editor - Bonnie Chasteen
Staff Writer - Jim Low
Photographer - Noppadol Paothong
Photographer - David Stonner
Designer - Stephanie Thurber
Circulation - Laura Scheuler